Posted on 01/30/2009 10:12:00 AM PST by NYer
Another member of the SSPX has decided to share his thoughts about the Holocaust with the world:
In the wake of a global furor triggered by Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to lift the excommunication of four traditionalist Catholic bishops, including one who cast doubt on the Holocaust, another leader in the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X has questioned whether the Nazis used gas chambers for anything other than “disinfection,” and said that people who hold revisionist views on the Holocaust are not anti-Semites.You can read more, and the full translation of his interview, at the NCR link.
Fr. Floriano Abrahamowicz, a pastor and spokesperson for the Society of St. Pius X in northeastern Italy, also referred to Jews as “a people of deicide,” referring to the death of Christ, and suggested that the Jewish Holocaust has been “exalted” over what he called “other genocides,” such as the Allied bombing of German cities and the Israeli occupation of the Gaza strip.
On the other hand, Abrahamowicz insisted that the traditionalist movement founded by the late French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre is not “anti-Semitic.” Among other things, Abrahamowicz said, he himself has Jewish roots on his father’s side.
The comments came in a Jan. 29 interview with the Italian newspaper La Tribuna di Treviso.
It’s as much my business as the internal governance of radical Muslim groups is, and I’m not a Muslim either. The Roman Catholic Church actively involves itself in the political affairs of many nations including the US, and its governance is therefore everyone’s business.
One of the biggest short-term questions regards the standing of the Swiss-based society's bishops and priests -- specifically, whether in the Vatican's view they remain suspended from their ministry until a more complete agreement is reached.
So it's not certain yet what role these priests (and bishops) will play even though the 4 bishops have been excommunicated. That is, this Fr. Abrahamowicz has no pastoral role as of yet, so to say, "But un-excommunicating them without explicitly stripping them of their status as bishops and priests, amounts to a tacit endorsement of them as spiritual leaders. It lends the Pope’s authority to their claims to be qualified to guide the spiritual and sacramental lives of lay members of the Church, thus encouraging more people to follow them." is not entirely accurate.
The priests lead no congregation or parish. They aren't giving Homilies weekly. They have no "spiritual leader" role. Yet.
I hope and pray that the Holy Father will see to it that the more reactionary elements in the SSPX will be expunged and/or dealt with in an appropriate manner.
I agree with you completely. If Protestants take the idea of everybody agreeing on everything to an extreme (leading to a different "denomination" for each person), then the Catholic Church's "all things to all people," unity-above-every-other-consideration attitude goes to the opposite extreme.
What excommunicable offense has he done?
I don't know - more embedded than it ought to be, evidently.
Still, wacko notions on the Holocaust, flat earth, or space aliens on the part of various individuals or groups over the ages don't necessarily invalidate correct beliefs in other areas. In the case of the SSPX, preservation of Sacred Tradition and rejection of modernism/dilution of Catholicism by Protestantism are correct and admirable postures, IMO.
Regarding the extant of Holocaust denial, although I have never attended an SSPX Mass, I have communicated at length with several individuals who have. These particular persons harbor no antisemitism whatsoever and would find such a position to be abhorrent. It would be entirely alien to them as it would to me. I personally think some SSPX homilies should address this situation, just as other human faults can be addressed as moral themes.
How about lying?
THE MYSTERY OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE IN HISTORY1st--[Judaism] called upon itself the blood of Christ as a curse.
2nd--Judaism is inimical to all nations in general, and in a special manner to Christian nations.
3rd--If the unrepentant Jewish people are disposed by God to be a theological enemy, the status of this opposition must be universal, inevitable, and terrible
Universal, because it must extend to all nations. Wherever Christendom extends
Christendom and Jewry are destined inevitably to meet everywhere without reconciliation or mixing
terrible enmity, because it is theological… They only perpetuate what they did once to Christ.
4th--the world has been subjected to two truly opposite forces: the Jewish force and the Christian
5th--only protection of the Gentile people against enslaving itself to the material superiority of the Jewish people is the Catholic life
6th-- Catholics cannot hate the Jewish people, cannot persecute them or prevent them to live, nor disturb them in their private practice of their laws and customs…Catholics are not to enter into commercial, social, nor political relations which are bound hypocritically to seek the ruin of Christendom. Jews must not live together with Christians
7th-- In the wandering and pitiable life of the Jewish people one must discover the Christian mystery… Ever since [the Crucifixion], similar insults have been visited upon the Jewish people as a chastisement and penalty for its deed.
The Jewish and Christian Peoples
The Catholic Church’s teaching is that they should neither be eliminated from among us (as antisemitism seeks) nor given equality of rights, which leads to their superiority (as is advocated by liberalism or philosemitism).
The Catholic Church teaches that it must not be exterminated (for the Jewish people bears the mark of Cain given it by God so no one would kill it) nor frequented (for God warns of its danger). As once they treated Christ, ever since, to persecute Christianity is their theological preoccupation.
He is not a member of the Catholic Church. I do, however, agree that the SSPX should rid themselves of this priest and Bishop Williamson.
It’s as much my business as the internal governance of radical Muslim groups is, and I’m not a Muslim either. The Roman Catholic Church actively involves itself in the political affairs of many nations including the US, and its governance is therefore everyone’s business.
Baloney. The Church is no different than any voluntary association. All peoples are both citizens and members of other organizations, and they are free to seek to express their collective ideas through their assocations since being in such does not renounce their rights as citizens. Every voluntary association engages in attempting to influence society based on the views of the members. The NRA does this. Every religion and church does this. The ACLU, unions, hobby clubs, and so on all do this. That is what voluntary assocation means. But, it doesn't mean that how each group operates or carries out their daily lives is also up to approval by the rest of society.
I agree. When the history of the last 50 years is written the SSPX will be seen as a group that helped preserve Traditional Catholicism in the face of a titlewave of modernism, ecumenism and diloution of the faith by people at the top ranks in Rome. I live in the diocese of Orange County California. The 'Liturgy' at our home Parish is so outragous (Saddleback Church is more reverent). So I started attending Latin Mass at the Mission. They are not SSPX but are Norbertines. The Liturgy is beautiful and the Sermons are solid. Of course the Mass is packed. The people there are far from the loons that they non-Catholics here are trying to present. I also have some very good friends who attend SSPX chapels. Believe it or not, Jews are not the topic of conversation on Sundays! Catholicism is and they and their children are solid Catholics.
Regarding the extant of Holocaust denial, although I have never attended an SSPX Mass, I have communicated at length with several individuals who have. These particular persons harbor no antisemitism whatsoever and would find such a position to be abhorrent. It would be entirely alien to them as it would to me. I personally think some SSPX homilies should address this situation, just as other human faults can be addressed as moral themes.
I think it wise for SSPX priests not to engage in the kind of stupidity that Williamson is engaged in. If the topic comes up they should simply say that Williamsons views are his own and not those of the Church. The problem is that now we have a situation where all the anti-Catholic bigots have yet another stick to swing at the Church thanks to Williamson. The MSM has done its part as well (as usual).
Ultimately, this is a good time for the Church. I have always believed that Benedict XVI would be a far greater Pope than John Paul II. His moves toward the SSPX are proving me correct.
You know that he is lying? Maybe he acutually believes what he is saying. Also, I don’t think lying is an excommunicable offense.
I was afraid of that ... to the point where it has been preached from the pulpit. One can only imagine the fallout from these teachings over the past 40 years.
At what price unity?
I was thinking of you. I think the January '09 First Things had an article on Messianic Judaism. Anyway you could find it on their site. I hate to say I've been so tied up that I haven't been able to give it the attention it deserves.
One could say that in the worldview propounded by the SSPXers Israel serves the same role that `Amaleq does in Judaism. This transformation of Yisra'el into `Amaleq is one of the things that discredits the entire chr*stian religion and its claims at being Judaism's legitimate "successor."
I have often wondered if some of these anti-Semitic chr*stians are consciously or unconsciously taking the law of the parah 'adummah (red heifer, Numbers Chapter 19) as a "messianic" prophecy. In that ritual, essential for purification after coming in contact with a dead body, the kohen who performs the ritual is himself rendered ritually impure. In order to cleanse the impure, the clean must be made impure. Do these people believe that Israel was chosen solely to kill the "messiah," and thus damning themselves in the process while allegedly "saving" the rest of the world? In other words, were they chosen for this role as the villian of chr*stian history from the very beginning? It would be interesting if some of these theologians would "enlighten" us on these matters.
Agreed.
This is a huge mistake to allow this blasphemy to continue in the Church.
Acutally, it is NOT in the Church. This teaching comes from the SSPX which is separated from the Catholic Church.
If the pope doesn't nip this in the bud RIGHT NOW, you will see a schism form very quickly.
Again ... this 'schism' is not in the Catholic Church. The pope has lifted the excommunication on 4 SSPX bishops but they are still separated from the Catholic Church. You are correct in suggesting the pope had better devote more time to this false notion before allowing them back into the Catholic Church. Otherwise, it would be like spilling a bottle of poison.
I have seen, and discussed, a range of opinions among those largely sympathetic to the SSPX (on a forum that is now defunct).
It seems that there is a significant minority that is primarily motivated by opposition to Vatican II ecclesiology. Of these, there is a smaller minority that is specifically upset by the rapprochement with the Jews. I would expect that these groups will not be satisfied by the lifting of the excommunications and by the reaffirmation of the Latin Mass as valid mass. They would want Vatican II reversed pretty much in toto. They, of course, have reasons to fear a reconciliation that is now taking shape, and they can be expected to attempt to wreck it.
These people know that the most effective way to cause scandal is to insult the Jewish interests, as the Jewish people tend to respond quickly, loudly, and bitterly to any Holocaust revisionism, as of course they are entitled to do. Further, some of the Jewish response would contain conscious or inconscious anti-Christianism if I may coin the term. That would ignite a bitter mainstream Catholic response, and the stock of the abovementioned SSPX minority will rise.
So that is the stratagem. Responsible Catholics and Jews should see it for what it is and try to lower the temperature. There will be no winners if this escalates.
The majority of SSPX are simply good honest traditionalists. They may dislike the Vatican II’s liberal spirit but they will work within the Church to fix it, as we all should. Jews have nothing to fear from them.
You ever get the feeling that what ties a lot of “traditionalists” (in a number of denominations) together is anger? I know my late Mom, a member of the Prayer Book Society just was FILLED with rage when she talked about it. She wasn’t so much about giving her life to Christ, but the 1928 Prayer Book, now THAT was important.
LOL, that explains everything about the Church.
I'll try to find it, but I don't expect to. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Bishop Williamson was excommunicated because he accepted an episcopal consecration that was not authorized by the Pope. Benedict XVI’s decision to lift that excommunication is a matter of internal Church governance, pure and simple, and no business of a non-Catholic such as you. And your comparison of the Catholic Church to Moslem terrorists is, frankly, offensive.
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